A woman from Reivilo ran a mile away on Saturday morning to find help after a brutal attack on her and her husband.
Lana Coetzee, 63, was attacked in her farmhouse at 08:10 shortly after three attackers attacked her husband, Schalk.
They caught Lana, assaulted and tied her up. Her nose was broken and her cheekbones cracked.
Marius Müller, a national security coordinator for Afriforum, says they went back outside, took the uncle, and dragged him into the house. They then tied him up in the shower.
Ian Cameron, head of community safety at AfriForum, says the robbers have left with the couple’s silver Nissan X-Trail, a firearm and bank cards.
Piet Coetzee, 73, Schalk’s brother and their neighbor, says Lana, who was also tied up, unwrapped herself after the attackers left the scene. She ran to a neighboring farm.
Police spokesperson Adelé Myburgh says one of Coetzee’s’ other neighbors arrived at the police station with the message that there was trouble on the farm. Police had to climb gates on the farm to get to the home.
Members of the police offices in Reivilo, Schweizer-Reneke and Bloemhof – and community farmers gathered to arrest the attackers.
André Pienaar, a member of farmers’ safety groups in the area, says information started to reach WhatsApp groups at 9am.
About 45 minutes later, people saw the Coetzees’ silver X-Trail drive through Bloemhof in the direction of Schweizer-Reneke.
Shortly after, the robbers left the X-Trail on a dirt road and fled on foot, Cameron says.
A helicopter, which was already in the air to help search, saw the men.
Pienaar says the suspects fled to a game camp where they were arrested. About 50 farmers were part of the group that searched for the men.
All three suspects have been arrested. One was admitted to the hospital. Details of his injuries are unknown.
Heyns said the cooperation between the community and the police was excellent.
